To Champion Safety
As a youth football coach, you are assuming complete responsibility for the well being of someone elses son while he participates at practice, games and team functions. You and your staff must champion safety at all times and make that your first priority.
We all know that football is a contact sport. There will be bumps, bruises, cuts, scrapes, twists and sprains. There is also the possibility of breaks, tears and concussions. One cannot guarantee that these will never happen, but steps can be taken to decrease the opportunity for injury to occur. Student-athletes must be properly conditioned to withstand the rigors of the game, and drills involving contact should be monitored closely.
When an injury does occur, each coach is personally accountable for handling that situation promptly. Regardless of the severity or the nature of the injury, each coach should treat the player with genuine concern and a sense of urgency. Furthermore, it is the players parents that are the ultimate decision makers when it comes to treatment options, seeking informed medical advice and when the player can return to the field.
Coaches will also need to be prepared to confront the challenges presented by the effects of heat, humidity, asthma and allergic reactions. Weather conditions involving lightning are a very serious health hazard and players should never be exposed to that risk.
Players should have adequate supervision before and after practice, at games, and at other team functions. It is never appropriate to leave a student-athlete alone in a park or another facility regardless of the circumstances. Scheduling errors happen do not compound them by assuming someone is coming.
Intimidation is never an acceptable method of motivating a player. Coaches should learn to recognize fear as another safety issue especially at the lower grade levels. A student-athlete that is not ready to face an opponent, appears tentative and is not attuned to the speed of games should not be put into these situations.